What We've Been Waiting For
by ShelbyElizabeth
Summary: Though not described to us in the book, we know that Ron and Hermione get married. What was the wedding like? Let me show you.
1. The Arrival

What We've Been Waiting For

Summary: Though not described to us in the book, we know that Ron and Hermione get married. What was the wedding like? Let me show you. Warning: May contain DH spoilers.

Story Note: This is the exact same story that was previously posted, I've decided to separate this and the sequel, so it should be all peachy… keep an eye out for the sequel. It is so far unnamed, so put me on your author alert list so you can see when it goes up.

Chapter One: The Arrival

Hermione was fairly unsure of the customs at wizard weddings on the clear, crisp July morning she arrived at the Burrow, having only attended one the previous summer. She was sure that wasn't even a conventional wizard wedding at that, given the situation. 'Praise Merlin for Mrs. Weasley.' She reassured herself. She knocked on the dark wooden door and it immediately swung open, revealing a beaming Mrs. Weasley, who swept her into a tight embrace.

"Mum, save some for me." A rather sleepy voice wafted over from the kitchen table.

A tall, freckled redhead watched his mother back away before sweeping his fiancé into an even tighter embrace. He kissed her softly, letting her know how much he had missed her, even though it had only been three days since they last saw each other.

"Hi stranger." She whispered "I missed you."

"Ronald! It is 10 o' clock!" Mrs. Weasley spoke sharply. "You go change out of your pajamas right this instant! I'm sure Hermione has no desire to see those."

Ron obliged, though he mumbled the entire way up the stairs about that she had already seen them, during their search for the Horcruxes.

"You must be hungry dear. Come have a spot of breakfast before we begin planning for the wedding.

Hermione had just finished her eggs when she was bombarded again with a hug, this time from behind. The long red hair cascading down in front of Hermione's eyes meant it could only be Ginny.

"Oh good, you're just in time to help." Mrs. Weasley said to her daughter.

"Already, Mum? She's only just arrived." Ginny pointed out. "Let her relax a little. I'm sure she wouldn't say no to a little alone time with Ron, either." Ginny winked at her friend.

Mrs. Weasley saw the spark that appeared in Hermione's eyes at the mention of spending alone time with the man she loved and recognized her defeat by saying "I suppose it can wait until later. How about I pack you two a picnic lunch and you can go on a walk." She suggested.

"That sounds lovely." Hermione gave Mrs. Weasley a quick hug and moved towards her luggage. "I'll just take this up to Ginny's room then."

"Well, I've done some thinking, and I believe that you are trustworthy enough to stay in Ron's room, if you wish." Mrs. Weasley shared this information with a small smile.

Hermione paused at the bottom of the stairs and gave her a peck on the cheek. After a quick _Wingardium Leviosa_, all the bags were moved up to the landing outside of Ron's room. She pressed her ear to the door and could hear him scurrying about, wondering loudly why he couldn't find a pair of jeans. Hermione could barely suppress a giggle as she knocked on the door and said "I've got a pair in my bag, if you like."

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Ron threw open the door and Hermione had to suppress another giggle at the sight of him standing in to doorway wearing only his faded Chudley Cannon boxer shorts and a pair of mismatched socks, having temporarily forgotten his quest for clothes.

Closing the door behind her, Hermione set her bags on the floor, and gave Ron another kiss, but with much more passion than the one they had shared in front of his mother. They broke apart only when Ron gave an involuntary shiver. Hermione lazily flicked her wand at the open window, which slammed itself shut, no longer inviting in the chilly breeze. She busied herself with finding Ron some clothing in one of the bags.

"What'd you bring your bags in here for? You're sharing a room with Ginny again." Ron pointed out; a hint of sadness slightly distorted his voice.

Hermione explained to him what his mother had said and he perked right up. Before he became over excited with what seemed like his mother's permission, she said "I think she expects me to stay here though." She gestured to the bed against the opposite wall where Harry usually slept.

Ron looked only a tad crestfallen as he said "It's a start."

Hermione handed him the jeans and t-shirt she had found. He got dressed while Hermione told him about how Ginny had managed to convince Mrs. Weasley to give them an afternoon alone, and the picnic. Ron recognized that this would be their only alone time for a while and said "Sounds brilliant!"

He kissed Hermione's forehead and led her down the stairs. There was a wicker basket waiting for them on the now clear kitchen table.

"Bye Mum." Ron said as he grabbed the basket.

"Be good." She warned them.

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How'd you like it? Let me know. CC welcome, and as usual, bashing isn't.

ShelbyElizabeth


	2. Working Hard, or Hardly Working

What We've Been Waiting For

Summary: Though not described to us in the book, we know that Ron and Hermione get married. What was the wedding like? Let me show you. Warning: May contain DH spoilers.

Story Note: This is the exact same story that was previously posted, I've decided to separate this and the sequel, so it should be all peachy… keep an eye out for the sequel. It is so far unnamed, so put me on your author alert list so you can see when it goes up.

Chapter Two: Working Hard, or Hardly Working

"Alright dear, now if you could begin the guest list that would certainly be a great help. By the way, how was your picnic?" Mrs. Weasley inquired.

Hermione pulled a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill towards her and told her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law of how Ron had taken her to the same spot where he had proposed. "That's lovely." Ginny said with a smile, clearly wishing it had been her and Harry, but happy for her friend just the same.

"I'm afraid I don't exactly know who to invite. My parents, of course, and all of you will be there- well, here. How about Parvati and Padma Patil, and Lavender Brown?" As Hermione began dictating the names, the quill sprang to life, writing them on the parchment, pausing only to occasionally dip itself in the ink "Let's see… Penelope Clearwater, Teddy Lupin and Andromeda Tonks, Viktor Krum… Oh, honestly- Ron, come down here!" Hermione yelled up the stairs and added as an afterthought, "This will be much easier if he's here too."

Ron bounded down the stairs and gave a curtsey, saying "You rang, m'lady?"

"That's charming, Ron. Come here, we're staring the guest list. Add Luna Lovegood and her father, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan… who else Ron?"

Ron looked over the slowly growing list. "I'm surprised none of our old teachers are on here."

"Good idea, Ron! We should add Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Slughorn, Sprout, Sinestra, hmm… and I suppose Firenze. Oh! And Hagrid and Fang. And Nearly-Headless Nick. Why don't you do your side of the family while I try to think of others," Hermione suggested.

Mrs. Weasley took the list and tripled it by adding all of their cousins and extended family members. "Muriel would be devastated if we didn't invite her. Maybe we can even borrow her tiara again," she said thoughtfully.

"What about Kingsley and the rest of the Order? And Lee Jordan… Ron, do you want to invite the rest of the Quidditch team from fifth year?"

He agreed, and Angelina Johnston, Alicia Spinett, and Katie Bell were added to the list.

While Ron and Hermione racked their brains to think of anyone else who should be invited, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny began deciding who would do everything else. "Mum, I think we should go for the same people who did Bill and Fleur's wedding. They were so cooperative and patient with all of our precautions." Ginny suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Mrs. Weasley agreed.

Hermione took the guest list from Ron and silently added one last name. She gave the list to Mrs. Weasley, who looked over it and said "Are you sure dear?"

"Absolutely. Without him, Ron may have never shown affection for me."

Hermione rose from the table and placed a kiss on Ron's cheek, ignoring his perplexed face.

"Who is it Mum?" he asked curiously.

The question had fallen on deaf ears however, as she had begun packing away all the planning materials. He felt a tug on his hand and Hermione said, "We're off to bed. 'Night all."

Ron mumbled his good night and followed Hermione up the stairs. Hermione took her pajamas to the bathroom, and quickly changed and brushed her teeth. When she returned to the room, she found Ron wearing his pajamas, reading something while sitting on his bed.

"Romeo and Juliet?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. You know- 'to be or not to be, that is the question.' You recommended it."

"Wrong tragedy. This is more, 'but soft, what light through yonder window breaks? 'Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun.' But you were close." She winked and wrapped her arms around him.

"Yeah, yeah." He placed his own arms around her waist and held her close.

They stayed like that for several minutes until Mrs. Weasley rapped sharply on the door and told them to go to bed. They gave each other one last kiss and lay down in their separate beds.

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They slept peacefully until a loud bang sounded outside. Hermione woke with a start. 'It was probably just Crookshanks,' she reasoned. But just in case it wasn't, she rose from her bed and sat on the edge of Ron's. He opened one eye sleepily and whispered, "what is it?"

"I heard something. Can I sleep with you?" she whispered back.

Ron did not reply, but scooted over to make room for her. Hermione nestled herself in between his arms and soon found herself drifting back to sleep, content and self-assured that Ron would keep her safe.

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Thanks so much for reading, please leave you're thoughts and everything!

ShelbyElizabeth


	3. Meet the Parents

What We've Been Waiting For

Summary: Though not described to us in the book, we know that Ron and Hermione get married. What was the wedding like? Let me show you. Warning: May contain DH spoilers.

Story Note: This is the exact same story that was previously posted, I've decided to separate this and the sequel, so it should be all peachy… keep an eye out for the sequel. It is so far unnamed, so put me on your author alert list so you can see when it goes up.

Chapter Three: Meet the Parents

Note: I'm ignoring the fact that the Grangers were in Diagon Alley before the start of the trio's second year, where it seems likely that Ron would have already met them.

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The final bits of planning the wedding seemed to fly by, and before Hermione knew it, the wedding was only two days away. She found herself waiting in front of the Burrow with Ron, watching the road, looking for a small silver Sedan. After a while, it appeared from around the bend. The two brunettes seated in the front of the car waved and beamed when they saw their daughter. Mr. Granger parked the car and made a beeline for Ron. He shook Ron's hand and said, "It's nice to finally meet you. 'Mione has told us so much about you."

Mrs. Granger hugged him, but spoke to her daughter, "I'm glad _this_ one is healthy, not like that Eric chap. He was far too skinny; rude too."

Ron cast Hermione a look over her mother's shoulder that clearly asked, "Eric who?" She grinned sheepishly and invited her parents inside, where Mrs. Weasley was waiting to welcome them into the family with a dinner the likes of which Hermione had never seen before. Plates upon plates of food sat steaming on the table. Mrs. Granger absorbed herself in talk with Ginny, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley about the details of the wedding. Mr. Weasley was bombarding Mr. Granger with questions about Muggle life, ranging from "what does a CD do?" to "how on earth do you keep your teeth like that without magic?"

Each question was answered patiently, even the last one, which also earned a lighthearted laugh. "I'm not a dentist for nothing."

Once Mrs. Weasley had run out of wedding-related subjects she started telling stories about her kids. "Ginny used to follow her brothers everywhere. She once came to me and told me how she had followed Ron down into the village, where he had met up with one of the Muggle girls. Oh Ron, what was her name again?" She looked at her son.

"Mum, can we not talk about this, please?" Ron begged, his ears turning a shade of deep scarlet.

"That's quite alright, dear." Mrs. Granger said "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Hermione had her share of little boyfriends. Where should I begin? I suppose with the most recent. She came home one day and announced she had the most perfect boyfriend ever. This boy was quite positively the least charming young man I've ever met. He was rude and all around disgusting. Eric was his name. I kept telling her he was bad news and that she should stay away from him, but she didn't do away with him until she received a letter from Harry. I don't know what he said, but right after that letter showed up, Eric was history and she glowed for the rest of the summer holiday."

"When was this?" Ron asked.

"Right before your sixth year." Mrs. Granger replied.

"What did Harry's letter say?" Ron turned to Hermione.

"It said that you were in love with me, and you just needed a little provoking to tell me."

Ron looked as though he would have liked nothing more than to strangle Harry, though fortunately for Harry, he wouldn't arrive until the following day. Ginny noticed the angry glint in Ron's eyes and said, "Oh, come off it. You've always been in love with her, and you know it."

"Yeah, but Harry wasn't supposed to say anything. That traitor." He scoffed. "I wasn't ready for her to know, obviously." Ron stabbed his fork into his chicken.

Hermione looked down at her plate, not thrilled to be reminded of Eric. "He was really horrible," she assured Ron. "I only dated him because I thought it would help me get over you, since you didn't like me as more than a friend. He was the exact opposite of you. He didn't really care about me at all." Hermione absentmindedly stroked Ron's leg with her foot.

His face softened, and his grip on his fork loosened. "I suppose it's not that big of a deal."

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That night Hermione moved into Ginny's room. She had a hard time sleeping since she had grown accustomed to having Ron next to her. After trying every technique she could think of, Hermione still lay staring at the ceiling. She finally gave in to her mind, which had been begging her to go to Ron's room. She didn't bother knocking, and was unsurprised to find Ron sitting up, wide awake. She was surprised to find Harry sitting on the other bed. "Harry!" she exclaimed "I thought you weren't arriving until later." She hugged him.

"I figured I could come a little early. Why are you in here?" Harry looked puzzled.

"I couldn't sleep." She explained as Ron gave her a knowing look.

At some point in the hushed conversation, Hermione drifted off to sleep, her arm around Ron's torso, using him as a pillow.

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How'd you like it? Let me know. CC welcome, and as usual, bashing isn't.

ShelbyElizabeth


	4. One Day Left

What We've Been Waiting For

Summary: Though not described to us in the book, we know that Ron and Hermione get married. What was the wedding like? Let me show you. Warning: May contain DH spoilers.

Story Note: This is the exact same story that was previously posted, I've decided to separate this and the sequel, so it should be all peachy… keep an eye out for the sequel. It is so far unnamed, so put me on your author alert list so you can see when it goes up.

Chapter Four: One Day Left

The smell of pancakes wafted up the stairs the morning before the wedding. Hermione smiled but didn't open her eyes. "Ron, are you up?" she asked not really expecting a response.

"Mmmm…. What?"

Hermione opened one eye and saw Ron glancing around the room, looking slightly dazed, as he always did in the mornings. "I think we should get up. It smells like breakfast is ready."  
With a little difficulty she untangled herself from Ron. She shuffled to Ginny's room and prepared herself for the most hectic day of her life. The syrupy scent of the pancakes became thicker with each step towards the kitchen. Expecting to see smiling faces and hear tons of excited chattering, Hermione was quite surprised to fine everyone looking somber, almost as though the following day's event was a funeral, not a wedding. The only sound in the room was coming from the spatula, which was flipping pancakes of its own accord. "What is it? What happened?" All heads turned to Hermione.

After several seconds, and a realization that no one else was going to answer, Ginny said, "The Marquee place isn't coming. They've only just informed us that due to the difficulty level of our last wedding, they will not be supplying the tent."

Mrs. Weasley rushed around the table to hug Hermione. "It's going to be alright. Don't worry. We can get by without them. HOW CAN THEY DO THIS TO US? I'LL HAVE THEIR HIDES, MARK MY WORDS!"

It was clear that the silence had been due to no one wanting to set Mrs. Weasley off. Hermione felt like she was going to cry, but the tears would not come. Mrs. Weasley patted her on the back for a moment before Hermione said, "Excuse me."

She could hear her future mother-in-law thundering about how inconsiderate and unprofessional the company was as she went out to the garden and watched the gnomes chase each other in circles. "Ahem, May I join you?"

Hermione turned around to see Charlie rocking forward on the balls of his feet, hands in the pockets of his dragonhide jacket.

"There's a conspiracy to ruin my wedding." Hermione explained.

"Is there now? I think we should take a walk and you can tell me all about it."

Charlie led Hermione down the winding road and listened to her complain about how the Marquee company had backed out, literally at the last possible moment.

"Well, you could just do away with tents altogether. Have the wedding outside," he suggested.

"I suppose that could work."

"Remember Harry's party? We can just decorate like that again, but with white and gold. Are you sure nothing else is bothering you?"

Hermione looked at her shoes and whispered, "I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"What if I'm not a good wife? What if Ron leaves me for some tramp? Charlie, am I doing the right thing?" Tears poured down her cheeks.

"Hermione, I thought you were level headed. You are the most talented young witch I've ever met. Ron is not going to think you're a bad wife. He has no frame of reference, and tramps never were Ron's style. As for doing the right thing, you tell me. Do you love him?" Hermione nodded "And he loves you. He always has, even when I first met you. I don't think you noticed, but he followed you like a lovesick puppy. He even told me directly he loved you. Read for yourself."

Charlie handed her a letter out of his pocket. She looked down at it, hands faltering only once as she unfolded it.

Charlie-

Hope you're well. I'm doing terrible at the moment. The chap Hermione was going to the Yule Ball with turned out to be Viktor Krum. I've got no chance, not after someone as cool as him. What am I going to do? I love her.

-Ron

"I would have gone with Ron," Hermione admitted "But Viktor asked first. I never liked Viktor as more than a friend though." Charlie smiled.

"You would have done well to tell Ron. That was the first time he admitted to me that he loved you, but there were several hints in letters before that. That wasn't the last letter either. I started getting about one a week. He complained about life in general and told me how unsupportive I was being. He even said I was rubbish at giving advice. The only advice I ever gave him was to just put everything out in the open and tell you how he felt. He did it, only it took longer than I thought it would. Plus there was the Lavender Brown fiasco somewhere in there." Hermione scowled.

"Yeah, I remember that. It was horrible. But, Lavender and I are friends now. She knows that what she and Ron had was purely physical. I'm actually glad it happened, because she was the one who had to teach Ron to snog properly."

"And I'm afraid that's the end of our little walk." Charlie said looking up at the Burrow.

Hermione peered into a window and saw people scurrying about in the kitchen. "I suppose we should go in." Hermione stopped a few feet from the door and turned to Charlie "Thanks for the talk. That helped a lot." She gave him a tight hug.

"No problem, sis." He winked and held open the door. "After you,"

"Why, thank you," she giggled.

Everyone who was still in the kitchen looked utterly perplexed at how Hermione could be smiling. Mrs. Weasley was having a complete meltdown. "Now, I think that Fabian had a tent, perhaps I can look for it. No, George, you go look for it."

"There's really no need for that. We'll just have the wedding outside." She announced, smiling at Charlie.

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Thoughts and all, CC welcome, bashing isn't.

ShelbyElizabeth


	5. The Big Day

What We've Been Waiting For

Summary: Though not described to us in the book, we know that Ron and Hermione get married. What was the wedding like? Let me show you. Warning: May contain DH spoilers.

Story Note: This is the exact same story that was previously posted, I've decided to separate this and the sequel, so it should be all peachy… keep an eye out for the sequel. It is so far unnamed, so put me on your author alert list so you can see when it goes up.

Chapter Five: The Big Day

"Hermione, unlock this door! Don't make me break in, I swear I will!"

"NO! Ronald, stay away from that door. It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." Hermione yelled through the door.

"What a load of rubbish. Fine, then!" Hermione could hear him stomp away, but she knew he wasn't really mad.

Mrs. Weasley entered the room without difficulty. Before she left Hermione alone with her mother, she had sealed the room with a charm not allowing any males to enter it. "The charm works then. I've got two surprises for you."

"I'm not sure if I can take any more surprises." Hermione said nervously.

"You'll like these. First of all, Muriel isn't feeling up to the excitement of a wedding, but she did send over the tiara." Mrs. Weasley extracted a box from her bag, which was charmed like the one Hermione kept all of the Horcrux Hunt materials in. "And the second," A long white garment bag was pulled out of the smaller bag and hung on a hook next to the window.

"Is this- oh, goodness, this is it, isn't it?" Hermione whimpered excitedly.

She had not been allowed to see her own wedding dress, even while it was being tailored. Mrs. Granger had insisted it remain a surprise. Hermione toyed with the zipper and only unzipped the garment bag after an encouraging nod from her mother and Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh my," was all Hermione could manage.

The long, flowing white dress had rendered her speechless. She removed her bathrobe and slipped on the dress. The strapless bodice flaunted her trim waist, and the full skirt studded with miniscule Swarovsky Crystals draped itself elegantly. "Who paid for this?" Hermione asked, shocked by her own beauty.

"This is our wedding present." Mrs. Granger said.

Tears filled Hermione's eyes "Mommy, thank you."

"Now you've got something old- the tiara, something new- the dress, you need something borrowed, and something blue. What can we do for those?" Mrs. Granger pondered.

Hermione smiled at the sight of Mrs. Weasley's perplexed face. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"It's a Muggle custom." Hermione explained. "I think the tiara covers borrowed and old. I just need something blue."

"Hi, everyone!" A new voice said.

"Hi Ginny."

"Wow, you look- holy crap. Amazing just doesn't cut it." Ginny couldn't find the right word to describe how Hermione looked.

"What's that?"

"Oh!" Ginny remembered "Harry sent me up with this." She handed Hermione a long thin box.

Hermione opened it, revealing the most amazing sapphire necklace imaginable. It gleamed up at them, sparkling as its box was tilted in the sunlight. She read the note inside.

To my "Troll-chasing" best friend-

You've stuck with me through everything, so this is the least I could do to repay you. Treasure it forever, like I treasure you.

Love always,

Harry

"You caught a good one Ginny." Hermione said, showing Ginny the note.

The clock on the wall screeched at them "Sunset you dints! Hurry up!"

"Oh, my." Hermione breathed. "We have to get going."

Ginny clasped the necklace around Hermione's neck while they climbed down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Granger rushed ahead and took their seats. Mr. Granger met them just outside the Burrow. A hush fell over the crowd as Ginny came around a bush that was full of small white flowers, wearing a golden dress shimmering in the setting sun. Hermione took her father's arm. "I love you," she whispered.

They rounded the bush and every head turned to get a glance. Doves circled overhead as Hermione and her father started down the aisle. Most of the girls, and some of the boys, had tears in their eyes. Hermione locked eyes with Ron, who mouthed, "You are so beautiful. I love you."

She tore her eyes from Ron's only to glance to her left, Row D Seat 4, and there he was, blonde hair glinting. He gave her a smirk and nodded at Ron. She locked eyes with Ron again and felt like she would faint. The two mothers sitting in the front row burst into tears. Hagrid was dabbing at his eyes with a tablecloth sized handkerchief. Ginny gave her best friend a dazzling smile.

She reached the spot where Ron and Harry were standing inside a small gazebo, just like the one where the engagement had taken place, and grasped Ron's hands. A short, well-groomed tree flanked the gazebo on each side, both twinkling due to the tiny candles on their branches, which had been charmed to be flame resistant. The rather short wizard presiding began the ceremony with, "Thank you all for joining us today in the bonding of Hermione Jean and Ronald Bilius."

Hermione hardly heard herself repeat her vows. She was too busy gazing up at Ron. Before she knew it, the short wizard was saying "Then I declare you bonded for life. You may kiss the bride."

Everyone began to clap as Ron dipped Hermione and gave her a short, sweet kiss that clearly said everything he had ever felt for her.

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Thoughts and all, CC welcome, bashing isn't.

ShelbyElizabeth


	6. The Reception

What We've Been Waiting For

Summary: Though not described to us in the book, we know that Ron and Hermione get married. What was the wedding like? Let me show you. Warning: May contain DH spoilers.

Story Note: This is the exact same story that was previously posted, I've decided to separate this and the sequel, so it should be all peachy… keep an eye out for the sequel. It is so far unnamed, so put me on your author alert list so you can see when it goes up.

Chapter 6: The Reception

Everyone was still clapping when Mrs. Weasley's charm brought the tables over and circled the chairs around them. The champagne floated among the guests, like it did at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Hermione and Ron were soon surrounded by an assortment of people congratulating them. The crowd didn't disperse until it was announced that dinner was served.

Smoked salmon was served to each guest, Hogwarts style. The food popped up on the plates and magically cleared when the guest was finished. After he had eaten, Mr. Granger stood up and tapped his fork on his glass, which was emblazoned with the date- August 7th. "I'd like to propose a toast," he began "to Ron and Hermione, may every day you are together be a blessing."

"Aw…" The crowd began to clap as Ron kissed Hermione again.

"Ron, we need to go talk to someone." Hermione said. "Follow me."

She wound her way around the tables leading Ron towards the one person she really needed him to talk to. Her path was blocked by a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy. "Congratulations." He said through a thick accent.

"Hello Viktor, I'm so glad you could make it." Hermione said to her guest. "I'm sorry- I'm actually looking for someone. We'll be right back."

"Go ahead and find whoever it is. I'd like to talk to Viktor." Ron faced his wife.

"Alright, then, I'll be back as soon as I find him." Hermione turned around and darted back through the crowd.

Ron had wanted to talk to Viktor alone, mainly about his past relationship with Hermione. "I know I haven't exactly been friendly toward you in the past, and for that, I apologize."

"It's quite alvright. I knew that you ver in love vith her. I think everyone did." Viktor said.

"Yeah, it seems like I was the last to know. I just wanted to make sure that we're cool. I don't want you thinking that the reason you two didn't work out is because of me." Ron explained.

"In a vay, it is because of you, but you had nothing to do vith it. She always loved you, and there was no vay she could have that love for me. I don't regret the time I spent vith her, because I gained a good friend, and she has helped me find love elsewhere." Viktor replied, indicating a petite brunette sitting at the table behind Ron.

"Ron! I found him!" Hermione said rushing around the tables.

"Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed, clearly shocked. "What are you doing here?"

Viktor left, sensing the hostile air that had settled on the conversation. "I was invited." He flashed his invitation.

"Was this the last person you added?" Ron turned to his new wife.

"Yes. Draco isn't a bad guy, Ron; he just made some very bad choices. Without him, you may have taken even longer to show affection for me." Hermione smiled.

"What do you mean?" Ron appeared more confused than anything, and the tips of his ears flushed dark scarlet.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Malfoy scoffed. "Every time I called her a name, you stood up for her. It was obvious you liked her. And the look on her face when you stood up for her was classic. You were just too blind to see that you loved each other. And by the way- I'm not proud of the things I've done. It cost me my father and a friend. I just want you to know how lucky you are." Malfoy did something unexpected. He held his hand out to Ron and gave a genuine smile. "Good luck."

"Yeah, you too." Ron shook his hand.

"As much as I'd like to stay, I can't." Malfoy told them sincerely. "Congratulations. Goodbye, Wea-" He stopped himself from saying his nickname for Ron at the last minute. "Goodbye, Ron- Hermione," he said, nodding at each of them as he spoke their names. The corners of his lips turned up at what could almost be called a smile, and he turned away, retreating up the hill to Apparate.

A magnified voice said "Would the bride and groom come to the dance floor please?"

They made their way to the wooden panels that had been laid out on the flattest part of the Weasley's lawn, and began to dance together whilst the crowd looked on, smiling at the new couple.

After their first dance as a married couple, Charlie cut in.

"Thanks again for yesterday. I'm still a little nervous, but that's just normal, or so my mother says." Hermione said quietly.

"It was no problem."

"Why did you have that letter from Ron in your pocket anyway?" she asked.

"Normally, the groom starts to get a little bit of cold feet. I figured Ron would have the same anxieties Bill had. It was meant to calm his nerves, but it worked for both of you. You're kind of a package deal like that." Charlie smiled at Hermione.

"Do you still have it?"

"Yeah, do you want it?" Charlie offered.

"Yes, I'd like to keep it and give it to Ron sometime."

"Sure thing."

"I guess I should get back to Ron. Thanks, Charlie." Hermione hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

She wound her way across the dance floor to see Ron dancing with his mother. He gave her a wink, letting her know that they would soon be together again to dance the night away.

And so began their marriage, two blissfully happy people who wanted nothing more than to be together.

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Thank you for reading. Just drop me a quick note to let me know if you liked it/hated it/don't really care.

The prequel to this story, called So This Is Love, will be published sometime next week. Thanks so much for reading!

The sequel to this was going to be posted soon after, but to avoid confusion; I've decided to tack it on to this one. The next chapter will be called August: Part One and will be up shortly after the prequel.

ShelbyElizabeth


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